Are we fit for purpose(s)?

At a recent meeting of the PCC (Parochial Church Council - our elected governing body), there was on the agenda the question of purchasing new chairs for the church. Paula opened the item by sharing her response to a training session she had attended as a new Diocesan Representative.

Diocesan Training Day

Some messages I brought away with me from my training day:

Who are we? We are a church. We are a charity. Our
aim is not to make a profit. We have a mission for our parish.

‘We must determine our resources in order to achieve our
parish mission. Difficult resource decisions need to be mindful of the
mission.’

In order to achieve our mission we need a number of resources,
2 of the main ones being people and funding. We believe one of our main
resources to be our church and contact centre. With these wonderful buildings
we can generate funding for our mission. Consequently our church
needs to be ‘fit for our purpose(s)’.

What we want from our church building

1. To provide a fitting worshipful space for the
congregation.

2. To look welcoming, be comfortable and safe – for existing
parishioners and inviting of newcomers.

3. To be used by the local community/groups

4. A flexible space to be used in a variety of
functions

5. To be useful!

This is not an exhaustive list. There are a number of
suggestions as to how the above can be achieved but one starting point can be
with the acquisition of new chairs. New chairs are not vital but they could
help us realise points 2, 3, 4 and 5. Not all the current chairs are
comfortable or safe – or look particularly inviting.

Local groups using or hiring our church as a facility expect
a certain standard. The current chairs do not contribute to flexibility either
of space or formation; those which are nailed together by bits of wood are not able
to be ‘un-joined’. The single chairs cannot be temporarily linked. It
appears that the facility for hassocks was hooks screwed in
post-purchase. The chairs do not store.

We have an attractive frontage, a smart sign, effective
lighting, a comfortable bench; why not match the inside to the
quality of the outside? I do not believe in making profit for profit’s sake but
I do believe in providing suitable facilities for current worshippers,
attracting new worshippers and appealing to hirers. It’s a virtuous circle as
increased hire income can pay for our parish mission and new worshippers can
swell the ranks of volunteers, who can then participate in the parish
mission.

Paula Wilson is a member of the PCC, and a parish rep on the Deanery Synod.